Vista fax software

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

I just found out that Vista Home versions have no in-built Fax Software.
And because the business versions do have the fax software built in, there's no point in third party developers making their programmes work under Vista.
Now, there's a lot of use in faxing still. It's a very good way to send a formal letter of complaint, for a start.
But, whereas most businesses have access to a fax machine and don't need the software in Windows as much, most home users don't have a fax machine to hand and do need the fax software.
So they can't have it.
Madness

goretsky

Hello,

I did a quick search and found the following FAX applications for Microsoft Windows Vista:

4Team - Fax4Office
Avanquest - FaxTools eXPert
Electrasoft - 32bit Internet Fax
RKS Software - Mighty Fax

Perhaps one of these will work for you.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

Well, I don't know about the others.
Mighty Fax is the one I use under XP: And they're adding Vista support in their next version (Augustish).

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

12 months on from this thread start. And I'm facing an imminent switch to a Vista machine.
And the Fax issue is rearing its head.
MightyFax decided to bring out a new product, not upgrade the older one. Which annoys me. So I'll be looking for Freeware.

Edit;
I also note that there is a very unhelpful, and frankly unpleasant, thread downstairs in the Vista Forum about this, also a long standing one.

Philocalist

Just to chuck in the proverbial spanner Very Happy

... does anyone know whether or not any of this software can be successfully used with a typical cable broadband connection (Virgin in the UK), and Vista?
I seem to recall that such a connection was impossible under XP, and have not tried it since Confused

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

I'm not quite sure what this means. Fax software, by my definition, sends a print document through a fax modem along the phone system to another Fax modem or fax machine.
But I found this on my searches;
On this page- http://www.freesoftware4all.co.uk/fax.htm

32bit Internet Fax

You will be receiving faxes and sending faxes in a few minutes from now with this full featured fax software program. Send fax and receive fax from Single Computer and Modem; or Network with Multiple Modems. Options include: Send faxes via the Internet, send faxes by email, send faxes by fax modem, and the ability to forward all incoming fax to an email address. Optionally Send fax via the Internet using our built in fax API. If your fax recipient has an email address, this fax software program will fax email it to them by attaching the fax to an email and do an email fax to them.
Win 98/Me/NT4/2000/XP

Philocalist

I hope I'm either misinformed or simply misunderstood (the wonders of Google! Very Happy

), but I'm of the belief that faxing is a function that can only use analog phone lines and analog fax modems.
Accordingly, no fax software will function with cable modems.
If you have no analog modem or phone line, you will need to use a fee based Internet Fax Service.
For your sake and mine, I'd love someone to correct me / prove me wrong though Very Happy

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

This was my thought, see above. FAX, is by definition sending a facsimile of a page over the phone line.
These other internet services are some version of this I assume. I can't see the point of it myself. It'd be like attaching a document to an e-mail.
The point about fax is that the page(s) appear on paper, in someone's office. Just as if the post (i.e. mail) man had brought it.
I use it because people ignore e-mails. But a fax with a complaint/order/specification seems to get a response.

Or to put it another way, I don't see the point of using FAX via the internet.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Fax is almost as dead as carrier pigeons.

Yes it's land based Telephone dependent.

Many broadband ISP's, like mine, will not or do not support any telephone communication via the Broadband link.

I cannot use any phone service like Vonage.

The number of fax machines that could receive your faxes, is decreasing daily. It's an old method of communication that's being replaced by email, etc.
I shelved my old fax machine several years ago and have not needed it since.

One more ancient technology bites the dust!

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

I can't agree.
The normal twisted copper telephone system is still in most homes and offices. And it takes normal voice/FAX signals as well as the DSL. Most of the businesses that aren't web based still offer a fax number.
(And, the ones that are web based don't seem to be very good at answering e-mails anyway).
Fax is still the easiest, cheapest and simplest way to get a document to someone.
And Microsoft do include FAX software in their business versions: The decision to exclude it from home versions seems almost perverse. (It's in the home that having a standalone FAX machine is improbable).
I have heard that USA phone companies are trying to tie broadband in with mobile telephony, which may explain something (?).

Philocalist

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

I still disagree.
FAX works well.
It's reliable.
It can't be hacked.
It doesn't get too much SPAM. And certainly can't be Spammed for free or untraceably.
It doesn't need to be booted up, logged-in and launched
And it sends a copy of a document that can be handwritten, if needed.
Just because a system is newer it doesn't make it better.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

You're in England.....not the US.
Things work differently here!

Fax spamming became so rampant that peoples fax machines were going thru a whole roll of that rather expensive fax paper every day. Crying or Very sad

The plain paper, Ink Jet, fax machines were running out of ink, with all the ads, jokes and the like.

I worked for two shops where I repaired fax machines.
What a bunch of crap!
"Brother" was just about the worse I ever had to work on.
I'm sure glad I'm not required to do that any more. Rolling Eyes

I can send hand written or signed documents via email as simply as with a fax machine, and a lot cheaper. And, I never get the black dots, lines or borders that were the signature of dirty fax machines.

I just scan the document into the PC, attach it as a .doc to the email and off it goes. When printed out on the receiving end, it's an exact duplicate of my original.

I've purchased a lot of stuff lately, over the internet and NO-One has a fax number, but several email addys for different things.

I see that on my Windows Vista Ultimate PC, I do have the "Windows Fax & Scan" application. I shant ever use it.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

That simply isn't true.
Yes, the internet sale companies do have web/e-mail only systems. They are also the companies that don't employ many people to answer these e-mails when they get them. They tend to be selling at discount with minimal costs and limited customer service.
Whereas COSTCO (quite a prominent American company) has an online magazine for members that tells them they can FAX in stories to the number supplied on the web page. ( I just looked for an example from a well known USA company, this was the first I looked at.)

The point is that if it was the other way round I could agree with you, but Vista has the software for the business users who don't need it, because they do already have fax machines, but not for the home users, who don't.
Oh, and to further make the point, at work we have the Business/Pro versions of Windows but we also don't use the Fax software included because we've far more machines than phone lines and anyway we have a FAX machine which regularly gets used to send and receive documents including resumes and references to/from the USA (and Australia):It's a Brother and it's been working fine for many years.

The thing is that you're a techie.
Most folks will be faxing from WORD or using a scan-to-fax programme and the idea of;

"just scan the document into the PC, attach it as a .doc to the email and off it goes. " is just a step too far for ordinary folks.

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

I guess my "Regular Folks" are smarter than yours. Laughing

I have many little white haired grammas scanning pictures and documents into Word or WordPerfect and then attaching them to emails to send to their family members. Color pictures transmit beautifully that way.
Not so with a fax machine, where most are black on white only.

They don't seem to have any problem with it at all.
But again, I'm in the US and not the UK. Wink

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

That isn't the point though, is it.
Lots of users may still choose to fax simple, routine documents (like those Costco members or my USA applicants), rather than mess around with attaching e-mails. And a FAX still usually appears on a sheet of paper on someone's desk, where it is difficult to ignore. (Though sadly not always these days. It may still end up transferred electronically and in the ignored e-mails list).

The point is that Microsoft have continued to include it for the Pro users who do not need it, because they can use a fax machine or even e-mail , but not for home users, who may well need it or simply just want it .

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Just like a Brit.....gripe, gripe, gripe! Rolling Eyes

What ever happened to that British 'Stiff Upper Lip" and all that rot?

Quitcherballyaken and get XP Pro. Then you'll have your FREE Fax program and all the other goodies too.

Of course, it might be cheaper to just buy a fax program for your PC and be done with it.

Or pick up a cheap little stand alone fax machine.
The last one I bought only cost me $69 at the local Office Supply store.
That's the one I gave away, about two years ago.

You're OK Terry,,,,, I'm just funnin' wit ya! Wink

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

God, You Americans.
Some guy with taped up glasses and no social life tells you that you have to like the latest half-developed software and you take notice. I'm getting a new machine this week, and I'm going to have to put up with Vista bloat.

I can remember when you could run WORD off a floppy disc and still have room for the files. Laughing

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Terry,
Now you're showing your age! Wink

When I built my first PC, an IBM XT Clone, a friend gave my my first OS, Dos 2.0, on a single 5.25" floppy disk.

Those were the "Good ol' Days".

Anyone with a Commodore 64 and a 300 baud modem could set up their own Bulletin Board system, or work other peoples ASCII bulletin boards.

Moving up to an IBM Clone with a 1200 baud telephone modem was pure heaven. Laughing

Yeah, those were the "Good Ol' Days".

Not so long ago, modem makers were bundling "WinFAX Lite" with their telephone modems. That was actually a pretty good little program.
It came on a single 3.5" Floppy Disk.

It's the last FAX software I ever used. (I never wanted to spend money for WinFax Pro.) It wasn't compatible with the later versions of Windows. I don't know if the WinFax company is still in business.

Google tells me that "WinFax Lite" is available for download.
It's larger than the one I used to get on a single floppy.
If you want to try it, you can download it Here.

It installed OK on my XP machine, but I'm just not set up to test it.

Cheers mate!
The Doctor Cool

tbernstein · Joined: May 16, 2003 Posts: 1576 Location: London

It seems I'm going to be another of the faxless.
I contacted RKS software, who make a Vista compatible programme.
I have used their XP version, which I'd paid for even though I could just have used the built-in XP software, for some time.
I explained that now I had a Vista box and wanted to know if they could do me a deal on the Vista version.
If they had offered me a small discount I'd have taken it immediately.
If they'd politely declined I'd probably paid the full price, eventually.
They didn't reply for nearly a week. So I e-mailed again and said, mildly, that I wasn't happy that they hadn't replied.
This time they did reply, immediately, and with abusive language.

In about 2 years time there will be another Windows version.
So, it seems to me that buying a piece of software that might have only a couple of year's use from a company that send abusive e-mails to paying customers is probably not a good idea.
So, I can live without a fax at home. At least not RKS software's version of one.

But here's their e-mails. See what you think.

................................................................................

RKS Sales wrote:
> Then how about you just move along. It is not our job to make you happy, and quite frankly now that you've chosen to be a butthead, we are also not interested in your business.
>
>
>.........................................................................
>> You don't seem to be in any hurry to reply.
>> I'm not happy.
>
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> Subject: new PC with vista
>> Date: Sun, 06 Jul 2008 15:56:18 +0100
>> From: (deleted this bit)
>> To: sales.RemoveThis@rkssoftware.com
>
>
>
>> I had Mightyfax on my old PC, for a long time, but that box has now died.
>> The new PC is a Vista box. Do I need to (consider ) buying then new
>> equivalent at the current price or is there some kind of upgrade
>> available?